Movie Theater on Campus?? Say Less! (Eliot's Golden Arm Theater)

Janaysa Class of '27

December 04, 2025

This past year, I have rediscovered my love for watching movies in movie theaters.

My house, Leverett House, has held a few outings to see movies in Boston and they’ve been very fun. I’ve also dragged my friends to theaters to see films I’m excited about. However, it’s taken a lot of effort and intentional planning to make it out to the theaters as often as I like to go...that was until I heard about Eliot House’s Golden Arm Theater.

Golden Arm Theater is a student-run theater in Eliot House that shows movies every Thursday night. Students run their own concession stand, make posters for sale, and craft unique drinks for each movie. They even have movie theater-style seating! It’s a really cool part of student life on campus, and very convenient for movie-lovers like myself!

3 people standing in between movie theater chairs and a projector screen. — *These are some of my friends right before the screening started! They grabbed some catered food, popcorn, and drinks before heading to their seats.*

A few weeks ago, I saw Golden Arm’s November screening schedule, and saw that one of my favorite movies, Sinners, would be shown. I’ve never been a huge fan of horror movies, but it’s an especially compelling film with lots of historical themes. When I saw it was being shown, I texted all my friends and we reserved seats for the screening!

Open containers of Southern food staples (mac and cheese, chicken, greens) on a table. — *Some of the tutors in Eliot catered food for the* Sinners screening! It was really good! Concessions were also available, making this an upgraded movie experience.

When we got to the theater room for the movie screening, we saw that some of the tutors catered Southern staples for attendees! There was cornbread, greens, fried chicken, barbecue chicken, and more. On top of that, the student team behind Golden Arm also served popcorn, a variety of candies, and drinks. The food was yummy and complemented by the movie’s Southern setting very well (it’s set in Mississippi!). Every seat also had a handwritten name tag as well, and that helped personalize the experience.

A man looking off at a screen with suspense. — *My friends were watching* Sinners *for the first time, and they were scared quite often!*

We had the standard movie theater experience, complete with advertisements, dimming lights, and silenced devices. Some of my friends were watching the movie for the first time, and some of the scary parts spooked them! I thoroughly enjoyed my screening experience, and felt like I was at an AMC theater the entire time!